


flowers and frost

by dragonprinsessa



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: But he came back, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kingdom of Corona (Disney), Memories, Not Really Character Death, Seasonal Spirits and Guardians, i mean he died
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27329476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonprinsessa/pseuds/dragonprinsessa
Summary: there's more to their past than he knows.a series of connected one-shots for jackunzel month 2020.
Relationships: Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)/Rapunzel (Disney)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. as a thank you

**Author's Note:**

> mericcup month was a blast so I'm back for jackunzel!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> week 1: the way you "say I love you"
> 
> dreaming is nice.

Music and happy cheers fill the air in the castle courtyard as people swoosh past in a fast-paced dance. Rapunzel is doing her best to not be pulled in yet again as she makes her way through the courtyard. It’s difficult, everyone seems to want a chance to speak and dance with the returned princess. She appreciates it, of course, but after an entire day of nothing but dancing and talking to people, she’s a bit exhausted.

She just about manages to make to the other side, and ultimately up to the balcony overseeing the courtyard. A lantern is already there, and it makes her smile. As soon as darkness falls, it’s going to be released, and the night sky will be just as lit up as on her birthday. The amount of celebration being done for her and her return is almost more than she can handle. All the people dancing down there, they’re doing it because they’re happy she’s there. Music is being played, murals painted and lanterns lit and it’s all in her honor.

It’s almost as if she’s dreaming.

She can barely believe that she’s out of the tower, and now she she’s a princess with parents who love her and a whole kingdom who celebrates her.

It should be impossible.

But it isn’t.

“This is quite the party.”

And it’s all thanks to him.

Her heart swells when she hears his voice and she turns around so fast that she gets dizzy, and stumbles a little. Her crown slips down over her forehead while she tries to right herself again and she blushes as he laughs softly.

“Hi Jack,” she says as she fixes her crown and finally gets a chance to really look at him.

He has dressed up for the occasion. Instead of his usual vest and cloak he’s wearing a formal jacket. It’s a little big for him, probably belonging to his father. Still, it makes him look a little more put together. But his hair still spikes out in every direction, and his eyes still shines of mischief.

“Hey Punze,” he takes a few steps closer.

He’s still the same boy who found her in her tower, who got to know her, who showed her the kindness and beauty of people and the world, and who ultimately saved her.

Everything she now has, is thanks to Jackson Overland. Without him, she would have continued to be stuck and alone, just wondering for the rest of her life.

She wants to thank him, make it known to him just how grateful she is, and always will be. There’s only one way to do that.

She closes the distance between them and throws her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. He doesn’t hesitate before hugging her back, and the way his arms fit around her waist just makes her even more sure.

“I love you,” she whispers into his ear.

She can feel him smiling against her cheek. In this moment, everything is perfect.

And then she wakes up.

The sun is just rising in the valley she calls home, the morning dew is still visible on every straw of grass. But it’s chillier than normal, she’s freezing despite being wrapped up in her hair. Someone’s there.

“Good morning!”

She looks up just as he lands in front of her. Jack Frost looks just like the Jackson Overland of her memories, if just a little paler and with different hair and eye colors.

He has the same ability to make her smile, and blush.

“Morning Jack,” she says as she starts getting up, stretching as she does. “What are you doing here?”

Jack holds out a hand to help her up on her feet, which she gladly takes. As soon as her skin touches his, her heart does a little flutter. She does her best to ignore it.

“I need you to hold off spring in Australia for a little while longer,” his eyes shine with that same, familiar mischief.

I just might ruin her.

“I can’t do that,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I know, but if I’m going to pull this prank on Bunny I really need your help.”

“Do you really think pranking Bunny is a good idea?”

The way he smirks almost makes her regret asking.

“It’s gonna be hilarious, so yeah,” he says. “But I can’t pull it off without your help, Punzie. Please?”

She should say no. Bringing spring is important, and seeing as Bunny is one of her closest colleagues, she really shouldn’t get on his bad side.

But Jack is asking her, and she can’t say no.

“Fine, I’m in.”

The way he lights up is entirely worth getting on some bad sides.


	2. when baking chocolate chip cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> week 1: the way you "say I love you"
> 
> there are no eggs!

”My arm is killing me.”

Jack groans and Rapunzel giggles. He loves hearing her laugh, so he continues.

”I can’t take much more of this whisking. It’s going to fall off!”

She laughs again and Jack’s heart warms. There might also be a slight blush covering his otherwise pale face, but as long as she doesn’t comment on it he’ll ignore it.

“Someone needs to do the whisking, and I know you’re awful at following recipes,” Rapunzel says as she moves around the room, gathering the remaining ingredients.

“I think you just enjoy torturing me.”

She turns towards him for only a moment, just to stick her tongue out at him, before she turns back around to look in the fridge.

“I can’t find any eggs at all in here.”

It’s Jack’s turn to laugh. “Eggs are Bunny’s thing, why would North have any?”

The way Rapunzel pouts when she looks at him is the most adorable thing he’s ever seen.

“The Yetis make cookies all the time, they need eggs for that.”

“Maybe they’re vegan.”

Rapunzel swats at him and continues to pout, which only results in him laughing even more. Once again she swats at him, but joins in with his laughter.

The whole scene is familiar, somehow.

It reminds him of a big kitchen, with high ceilings. Of people in servants clothing side eyeing or smiling as they walk past. Of a mess made with flour and butter and lots of laughter.

And of a girl, with a beautiful voice and a smile in her eyes. She holds a wooden ladle filled with cookie batter out towards him, urging him to try it. He tries to, but when he gets closer, she bops his nose instead, covering it in batter. He responds by picking up a ladle of his own, and using it to throw batter at her. She screams, but she laughs. And he loves her.

Then the memory fades away, and he’s back in North’s kitchen with Rapunzel.

“I’m going to go see if the Yetis know where I can find some eggs,” she says. “Keep whisking while I’m gone!”

Jack just nods as she leaves the room, dazed after reliving the memory. He doesn’t really know what happened in it, or why he would remember it now all of a sudden. It has been months since he opened his tooth-box and regained the memories of his sister. And the girl in this memory definitely wasn’t his sister.

“I found eggs!”

Rapunzel reenters the room like a whirlwind of energy and smiles, and with a basket in her hands. 

“They keep them hidden away because _apparently_ they’re all stolen from Bunny. I kind of feel bad for him. First you won’t stop pranking him and now North steals his eggs,” she puts the basket of eggs down beside the bowl of batter. “Hey, did you stop whisking?”

Jack looks down at his hands. He hadn’t even realized he stopped; he’d been so preoccupied with his thoughts.

He smirks. “Well, my warden wasn’t here to watch me.”

Rapunzel solemnly shakes her head. “This warrants a punishment, Jack,” she says. “You’ll have to do all the whisking every time we bake from now on.”

“Wow, Punze, you really do enjoy torturing me!”

“I’m afraid that’s not all.”

She keeps up the solemn façade, but Jack can see her struggle to hold back laughter. It makes him chuckle. “Oh yeah?”

She nods, still obviously biting back giggles. It’s adorable. He suddenly finds himself in the memory of the big kitchen and laughing girl once again. He can’t make out her face, but her hair is short and brown, and crown rests on top of it.

His own hair however, is full of something wet and sticky. He blinks, and is back with Rapunzel who has finally broken out in laughter, after having cracked an egg on his head.

He joins her laughter, and almost forgets about the mystery girl in his memory.

Almost.


	3. when we lay together on the fresh spring grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> week 1: the way you "say I love you"
> 
> rapunzel is good at spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing this chapter made me miss the warm weather and also my childhood.

“Ready, set, GO!”

Rapunzel throws herself down the hill, getting wrapped up in her hair as she rolls in the grass. Next to her, Jack does the same, and although she can’t see him, she can clearly hear his loud laughter. He’s slightly ahead of her.

She reaches the bottom just to find him already there, grinning widely.

“I won!”

“You cheated!” Rapunzel exclaims, and points to the trail of ice on the hill behind him.

Jack smirks. “I don’t remember any rules about not using powers,” he says.

Rapunzel sighs loudly, overdramatizing her exasperation, and lies down in the grass. Jack joins her and she turns her head to look at him, then immediately snorts when she sees him waggling his eyebrows at her.

“You’re a nauseants,” she tells him, nudging his arm.

He nudges her back. “You love me.”

Once again, she sighs dramatically and looks at him with the most serious expression she can muster. “Unfortunately.”

They both burst out laughing at the same time. These are some of Rapunzel’s favorite moments. When it’s just her and Jack, having fun together and forgetting about the rest of the world. She can almost pretend that they’re back in Corona, 300 years ago. That they will spend the day together, play with his sister and have dinner with her parents, and that he will kiss her goodbye at the end of the day.

Oh, how she misses being kissed by him.

But he has no memory of the two of them ever being together, and in this life, he doesn’t have the same feelings for her that he had back then.

It’s okay.

He’s there, and he’s her friend. She gets to spend time with him, see him smile and be happy.

It’s more than enough.

“I gotta say Punzie,” Jack says, and her heart soars when she hears the nickname. The same one he gave her so long ago. “You did an amazing job here. This is probably the best spring Australia has seen for years.”

She wonders if he can see the blush as much as she can feel it. “Really? Thank you, Jack.”

“Of course!” his smile is so bright and beautiful, and then it turns into a teasing grin. “It’s probably because you had more time to work on it this year. It’s a good thing I asked you to delay it.”

“Jack Frost,” she rolls over so that she can look at him fully. “Are you trying to take credit for my work?”

“I would never!” he says, and copies her in rolling over. “But maybe I deserve a little shout-out. Like, flowers growing in the shape of my name. That would just be fair.”

Rapunzel shakes her head fondly at him, but knows that she would happily grant his request any day. She can’t make it too easy for him though.

“I’ll do it, if you can beat me down the hill _without_ using your powers.”

He grins and stands up.

“You’re on!”


	4. a whisper in the ear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> week 1: the way you "say I love you"
> 
> there's dancing.

Spirit holidays and celebrations are some of Rapunzel’s favorite things in the world. To see so many different spirits from around the world in one place is always just as amazing. Most of them she never gets to see otherwise, since they all have such vastly different jobs. Of course, there’s a lot of holidays that many of them don’t show up for too, but the Winter Solstice celebration is one the few that no one wants to miss.

Except for Jack Frost.

Even though he’s a winter spirit and the celebration might just as well be for _him_ , he has never been to one before. So, seeing as this is his first Winter Solstice, Rapunzel has taken it upon herself to make it the best one ever.

She may be of spring, but she still has an eye for aesthetics and has helped out a lot with the decorating, which would be the reason for all the crystal blue flowers everywhere. She also helped with making the food, and she picked out the best music to dance to.

She must have done a good job, because everyone seems to be on the dancefloor. Well, except for the most important person.

Jack is just standing to the side, looking slightly awkward and very much out of place. She can’t have that.

“Come on!” she says and grabs his hands to pull him onto the dancefloor.

He pulls back his hands, sticks them in the pocket of his hoodie and smiles sheepishly. “Sorry Punzie. I don’t know how to dance.”

Oh, how badly she wants to tell him that he does. That he was the one who taught her.

Instead she puts a hand on his arm. “You don’t need to know how,” she says, echoing his words to her from centuries ago. “You just dance.”

It’s the right thing to say, because this time when she tries to lead him to the dancefloor, her lets her.

It’s not too long until he’s jumping and spinning her around to the music, laughing all the while. It’s not a surprise, he is the Guardian of Fun after all. What also shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but still does, is that Rapunzel is once again reminded of the far past. It has happened more and more this past year, since they had started spending a lot more time together. Of course dancing with Jack would bring up memories.

Especially those of her first ball.

She remembers being nervous, but having him by her side grounding her. She remembers swirling across the dancefloor with him, resting her head against his chest and having hushed conversations between just the two of them. Those conversations were the best part of the ball. They would comment on the guests extravagant clothing, on the intricate court drama happening at every turn, he would compliment her dancing, her dress, her hair, her everything, and she would lean in and whisper:

“I love you.”

“Huh?”

His voice startles her, and she realizes that she said the words out loud. But she has nothing to worry about, because the ‘Huh?’ wasn’t didn’t sound like he was asking: ‘ _Did you just say that?_ ’. More like he genuinely didn’t hear her.

So instead of repeating her words, she says: “You’re good at this.”

He grins back. “Yeah. Who knew?”

Rapunzel smiles back and thinks: ‘ _I knew._ ’


	5. in a blissful sigh as you fall asleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> week 1: the way you "say I love you"
> 
> a ruin ruins jack's flight.

When he passes an old castle ruin where the only thing seemingly still intact is the tower, Jack almost plummets to the ground. It’s strange, because he’s passed this ruin, and others like it, countless times. Never before has it affected him like it does now. And he’s pretty sure it’s not the ruin itself, it’s the fact that it has a tower.

There was an important tower once, he thinks. A long time ago. Before he was Jack Frost. The mystery girl that’s been showing up in his memories lately. She belonged to a tower.

As soon as he makes the realization he flies in through the highest window. This tower is very different from the one with the girl. He knows that even though he doesn’t clearly remember what the other one looked like. He can just feel it. Not to mention, this place is so old that it was probably already in ruins by the time he was born.

But it’s still a tower, and that’s enough for long lost memories to play out before him.

“ _You came_!”

Her voice echoes around the walls. She sounds excited but surprised. He wishes he could make out her face, or anything else of what she looked like, but she’s just a clouded over silhouette.

“ _I promised I would, didn’t I_?” he hears his own voice say in return, and he can feel excitement he too felt in that moment, centuries ago.

More flashes of memories appear. He can remember teaching her games that he used to play with the village children, and he’s pretty sure she taught him how to play chess in return. He remembers her playing music for him, and him telling her stories of the people that he knew, especially his sister. They cooked together, and sat by the window as they ate, watching the sunset.

“ _One day I’ll be out there_ ,” she said.

“ _I’ll take you_ ,” he told her. “ _Just tell me when_.”

He’s pretty sure she hugged him when he said that.

They stayed by the window for hours. Even if he doesn’t remember all of it, he knows, because in the next memory they’re still there, but it’s dark out and instead of watching the sunset, they’re watching the stars.

“ _I charted the stars_ ,” her voice is heavy with sleep and her head is resting on his shoulder.

“ _That’s impressive_ ,” he tells her.

She tries to reply, but a yawn is all that comes out. He chuckles and tells her: “ _You’re allowed to sleep, you know._ ”

“ _But I want to spend time with you_ ,” she argues.

“ _I’ll be here when you wake up_.”

“ _Promise?_ ”

“ _Promise._ ”

He thinks he remembers her smiling and closing her eyes, but he can’t be sure since her appearance is still cloudy.

“ _Thank you, Jack,_ ” she says and wiggles to get more comfortable as she rests against him, and he puts an arm around her in return.

She sighs, he can tell she’s falling asleep, but the words she mumbles as she does are still so clear.

“ _Love you_.”

And then the memories end.

Jack is stood in the middle of a tower in ruins, feeling more alone than he has in months. He can’t remember the last time someone told him they loved him, and it wasn’t meant as a joke. But that girl in the tower, she loved him.

He doesn’t know how to feel about that now.

And he doesn’t have time to dwell on it. They’re expecting him at the North Pole. He can’t miss his first Christmas with the Guardians, and Rapunzel, who he’d asked North to invite.

He takes one last look at the empty tower room, before he jumps out the window and lets the wind carry him off. 


	6. broken, as you clutch the sleeve of my jacket and beg me not to leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> week 1: the way you "say I love you"
> 
> jack: This is the story of how I died.

Rapunzel doesn’t know what time it is when she wakes up the third time that night, just that it’s dark out. Though she knows she shouldn’t use that as a way to figure out the time, since the sun won’t rise at all in the north pole for another few weeks.

Maybe that’s why she’s so restless. She’s very grateful that North let her stay overnight after the Christmas celebration, it was very sweet how he insisted, but since her power comes directly from the sun it has been a little hard on her. That, and she hasn’t slept in an actual bed for so long. It’s so soft and comfortable, but it’s strange to sleep in it. Last time she slept in a bed was back in Corona.

There’s a rustling sound from the other side of the room, and that makes her smile. While it’s been a long time since she slept in a bed, it’s been even longer since she slept in the same place as Jack. Knowing that he’s there is comforting.

She decides to roll over so that she can see him, and as soon as she does, she’s immediately transported into a flashback.

It’s a clear and cold winter day, a fresh coat of snow covers the ground. Rapunzel is sitting inside a cottage, drinking tea and chatting casually with a woman. Jack’s mother. His father is right outside chopping wood. They’re just waiting for Jack and Mary to return so that they can all have dinner together.

They never get to have that dinner.

The peaceful atmosphere is ruined by a bloodcurdling scream. They all recognize it as Mary’s voice, and waste no time rushing out to her.

Rapunzel arrive at the pond along with Jack’s mother. His father is already there, having been faster than them, along with a few other villagers who must have heard her as well. Mary herself is standing by the edge of the pond. Tears are cascading down her cheeks and her whole body is trembling. Rapunzel is about to go comfort her, and ask where Jack has gone, when the world stops.

Jack’s father, along with two other men, are pulling something out of a whole in the ice. It’s a body.

It’s Jack.

Her body goes stiff, her mind blank.

For a second time is frozen, and nothing is real. It’s a dream and she will wake up. It’s not real. Then she hears the panicked cries of Jack’s mother, and everything is too real.

They lay him down in the snow next to the pond. His body is limp, his skin is pale, his eyes closed, as if he’s sleeping.

“No,” her voice is nothing more than a breathless whisper as she rushes forward and falls to her knees at his side. “Nononono! Don’t do this, Jack! Just open your eyes, please!”

Behind her she can hear the sobs from his family, but she tunes them out. She’s not accepting this. She _can’t_.

”Jack,” her voice is thick, but she’s not letting the tears out yet. “You can’t- please don’t- you have to open your eyes,” she’s whispering as she strokes his face. It’s cold and wet, and so unlike how he _should_ feel.

A tear escapes her eye.

She’s not giving up on him yet.

When her hair came back, it was without the healing powers it used to have. Rapunzel _knows_ this. Every rational part of her is telling her that it won’t work, and yet she undoes her braid and pulls the hair over Jack’s body.

She takes a shaky breath.

“Flower,” there’s an immediate pause as she swallows the tears that threaten to fall at any second. “ _Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine_ ,” as she starts singing, closes her eyes and hunches over him. “ _Make the clock reverse_ ,” she grabs onto his shirt and ignores the fact that even if her eyes are closed, she should have noticed her hair glowing by now. “ _Bring back what once was_ ,” she can no longer keep the tears in, and sobs into his chest.

He’s gone. And she couldn’t save him.

She cries harder, holds on him harder.

Not ever again will she see his smile, hear his voice. Never again will they sit on her balcony and watch the stars together as they fall asleep. They’ll never play games together, tease each other, or do anything together every again. They’ll never get to go explore the world like they always talked about.

Because he’s gone. And Rapunzel can’t let go.

Time becomes nonexistent as she sits there, gripping onto him and crying until her tears run out. She knows it must have been a while when she feels a gentle hand on her shoulder, and looks up to see Cassandra.

“I’m so sorry, Rapunzel,” she says, and her voice is probably more sincere than Rapunzel had ever heard it before.

She looks like she’s been crying too. Cassandra and Jack were never really close, but it’s clear that she’s in pain too.

Rapunzel tries to speak, but as soon as she does the tears return.

“He- he’s _gone_ , Cass,” she manages to get out in the end, and Cassandra’s eyebrows furrow in sympathy.

“I know,” she says, and then: “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

“No!” Rapunzel instinctively tightens her grip on his shirt. “I can’t.”

Cassandra’s expression grows almost overly sympathetic as she crouches and gently tries to pull on Rapunzel’s arm.

“You have to,” she says. “They need to move him,” when Rapunzel still doesn’t move, she adds: “Rapunzel, you have to let his family mourn.”

That’s what finally makes her loosen her grip. She can no longer hear Jack’s family, and when she looks around, she doesn’t see them, only a couple of men from the village standing beside a cart. Guilt fills her, and she lets go of his shirt fully. She lets Cassandra help her up and pull her away. Her legs are shaky and her knees are weak, if it wasn’t for Cass holding her, she wouldn’t be able to stand up at all.

As the men carries Jack’s body onto the cart and starts to pull it away, Rapunzel does all she can not to fall apart completely. That will have to wait until she’s back home.

“I know this is hard for you,” Cassandra says. “I know how much you loved him. But-“

“Love him,” Rapunzel corrects before she can continue. “I love him. I always will.”

The flashback ends, and Rapunzel does all she can to hold back tears. She hates that memory. All her memories of Jack from that time are beautiful and joyful and _good_ , and then there’s that one. The one that she would rather forget entirely.

She looks at Jack across the room. It’s clear why she was reminded of that day. In his sleep, he looks as he did in death. Pale and unmoving.

She can’t stay in this room with him. Not now.

As quietly as she can, she tiptoes out of the room. Once the door is shut, she hurries to the kitchen. It’s the room she’s most familiar with here at the North Pole. Maybe it will be even just a little comforting.

When she gets to the kitchen, she makes sure it’s completely empty, only then does she allow herself to crumble to the floor.

She will return to the room eventually. She’ll be there when he wakes up. She’ll smile and wish him a good morning.

But for now, she cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	7. too quick, mumbled into your scarf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> week 1: the way you "say I love you"
> 
> the guardians love rapunzel.

Jack absentmindedly fidgets with the scarf in his hands as everyone is getting ready to leave. It was a Christmas present from Bunny. With the bright colors and bold patterns reminiscent of Easter, it was definitely meant as a joke. Jack will still wear it, because as funny as Bunny thought it was to give it to him, his own reaction to Jack wearing it will be even funnier.

That’s not his only reason though.

As soon as he opened the box and saw the scarf, he knew that Mystery Tower Girl had owned one eerily similar to this one. He remembers. She wore it the last time he saw her. He still can’t remember what she looked like, but the scarf is clear in the memory.

It was when he was walking to the pond with his sister, she had been there.

“ _Hey! I was just on my way to you_ ,” she’d said.

He had felt sheepish. They had made plans but he had gotten so wrapped up in his sister’s excitement.

“ _Sorry, Mary demanded ice skating_.”

He remembers his little sister sticking out her tongue at him and Mystery Tower Girl giggling.

“ _It’s alright. I’ll just go hang out with your mom instead_.”

He had laughed, and pulled her in close to kiss her cheek. “ _You’re the best._ ”

She’d leaned into it with a smile. “ _Go have fun with your sister. I think she’s getting impatient_.”

One glance at Mary and seeing her jumping up and down on the spot had confirmed that.

“ _Okay. I’ll see you later, love you!_ ” he had said, and let go of her to take his sisters hand instead.

“ _Love you too! Have fun!_ ” Mystery Tower Girl had called after them, the last words he’d ever heard her say.

He feels guilty. He had told her he would see her soon, she had probably been waiting for him with his parents. And then he went and died.

He doesn’t regret it. He saved his sister, how could he regret that? But the guilt is still there. At first, he’d just remembered little Mary, and he had felt guilty for leaving her. Then he had regained a few memories of his parents, and he felt guilty for leaving them too. Now Mystery Towers Girl is added to that list.

The biggest consolation is knowing that most likely, she lived a long and happy life. They were so young, he’s sure she found someone else to love. She probably got married, had kids and all that happily ever after stuff. Maybe, if he ever remembers he name and what she looked like, he can find her descendants. Look after them for her. She’d probably appreciate that.

“Jack,” he looks up from the scarf when he hears Tooth, and finds everyone looking at him. “It was so lovely to have you here for the holiday.”

“Oh. Thanks,” her words a so earnest that Jack finds it hard to reply. He’s not used to this. “It was great to be here.”

North slaps his big hand on his shoulder. “I’m already looking forward to next year!” he exclaims with that thick accent. “You will be coming next year, no?”

“Definitely.”

It’s an easy answer.

“Good, good. And you too, Rapunzel?”

“Hmm?”

Jack looks over to where Rapunzel stands, a bit away from the rest of them. She had mentioned several times since she came that she doesn’t want to intrude since she isn’t a Guardian, but Jack knows that everyone there absolutely adores her and would enjoy her intruding very much.

“You’ll be coming next Christmas too?”

Jack loves the way she blushes.

“I would love to.”

North grins, Bunny nods in satisfaction and Sandy jumps in celebration. Tooth squeals and flutters over to hug Rapunzel.

A few more minutes are spent celebrating and already planning for next year, but eventually it dies down and everyone starts to leave. Tooth is the first one, Bunny is next. Sandy seems to linger with North a bit. Jack wraps the scarf around his neck and approaches Rapunzel.

When she sees him she laughs. “I can’t believe you’re actually wearing it!”

“Bunny took the time to make me such a kind gift, of course I have to wear it,” Jack grins back. “How are you getting home? Do you want a ride?”

Her laughter dies down and her smile softens. “That would be great.”

Jack pulls her close (sort of like her pulled Mystery Tower Girl close, no wait he can’t think about that right now). “Hold on!” he tells her.

Her excited scream when they shoot off into the sky is the best thing he’s ever heard.


End file.
